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With travel, classes, and a little bit of culture shock, it becomes hard to experience everything when studying abroad in such a short amount of time.
“I’m trying to experience everything I can while here,” Maile Coleman said. “You have to plan far in advance when traveling.”
Maile Coleman is a junior accounting major from Nine Mile Falls, Washington, spending the fall semester in Madrid, Spain, studying at Universidad Pontificia de Comillas.
Coleman’s interest in studying abroad was initially sparked by her close friend Delaney Boyle, a junior at Carroll studying abroad in Galway, Ireland.
“My friend Delaney wanted to study abroad,” Coleman said. “So we decided to study in Europe in the same semester.”
When selecting a country to study in, Spain was a no-brainer for Coleman.
Coleman had already been to Spain before this semester and has had a lifelong familial connection living in Madrid, Ignacio Rincon-Thomas, her host dad.
“My host dad was my family’s foreign exchange student when he was in the United States,” Coleman said. “We’ve gone to Spain a few times to visit.”
While in Spain, Coleman has gone on quite a few road trips with her host family, exploring the local villages and buildings.
“They preserved a lot of old castles and buildings,” Coleman said. “There is a lot of history behind it.”
At Carroll, Coleman spent her first two years as the team manager for the men’s basketball team.
“I thought it was a good way to be involved in something on campus,” Coleman said. “Even in Spain, I’m still watching the games, rooting for the team.”
Due to being abroad, Coleman won’t be able to be a manager this year, but she plans to try helping out with the team next year.
Although her time abroad has been spectacular, Coleman is looking forward to finishing out the school year at Carroll.
“Studying abroad has been eventful but overwhelming, in a good way,” Coleman said. “I’m looking forward to coming back to Carroll to see my friends and family.
